On my way to work

After a week of Dengue, a week of fabulous vacationing with my family, I am finally back in Yalagüina. Dad pointed out to me there are things here that are so different from the US, but I haven´t written about them because I´m acustumbrada or used to them.
1. Chickens EVERYWHERE. People just let their chickens and roosters roam the streets. I´m guessing they eventually get home.
2. Also, other animals are all along the side of the road. On my walk to work, I pass this lonely donkey tied up to a tree off the side of the highway, then I´ll see a horse, and finally a bunch of cows. All in a 15 min walk from the center of town to my health center.
3. Multiple people on one bike. Fairly come to see a mom, dad, and one or two kids all on the same bike. Or two men. I mean, what are you going to do when you have 1 bike, no money for the bus, and need to get the family in to see the doctor? And Yalagüina is not a flat area. Major props to the pedaler.
4. People with no teeth. My favorite Nica colleague, a brigadista or community health worker in Chaguite, has one front tooth and some molars. And that´s it. It´s not as common as you think, but definitely more common than in the states.
5. Not sure if I´ve mentioned the poropos or catcalls yet. Even in Yalgüina, where most people know me, at least by face, I still get them. Adiosssssss, mi amor, chelita(white girl), preciosa, muñeca(doll), guapa(beautiful), Barbie, and the hissing noise they also use with cattle. Normally I can offset it by saying "Adios" first(what you say in passing another person), but then the "men" will just say it to my back. Real strong guys.
6. Men walking around with machetes: Or riding donkeys or horses with machetes. They are used to cut down wood for the stoves that most people have. People in the urban areas usually have gas stoves too, but even they still have wood stoves to cook beans, rice, soups, and tortillas.
7. Corn fields EVERYWHERE. Corn is the big crop here and this is its prime season. People grow corn in whatever space they can find. And then make fabulous sweet corn tortillas, quilquilas, mantucas(basically Mexican tamales), and various other foods.

-I took all these pictures just on my walk to work. The cows right in front of the power plant, not tied up, the donkey on the side of the highway, and a random cornfield.